Daily Political Wire

George Wenschhof

Jeffrey P. Bezos

The Washington Post Sold - The Washington Post Co. agreed Monday to sell its flagship newspaper to Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos, ending the Graham family’s stewardship of one of America’s leading news organizations after four generations.

Bezos, whose entrepreneurship has made him one of the world’s richest men, will pay $250 million in cash for The Post and affiliated publications to The Washington Post Co., which owns the newspaper and other businesses.

Seattle-based Amazon will have no role in the purchase; Bezos himself will buy the news organization and become its sole owner when the sale is completed, probably within 60 days. The Post Co. will get a new, still undecided name and continue as a publicly traded company without the newspaper.  The Washington Post has more here.
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Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri is said to have ordered terrorist attack - Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the head of the terrorist group’s Yemen affiliate to carry out an attack, according to intercepted communications that have led to the closure of U.S. embassies and a global travel alert, said a person briefed on the case.
 
In one communication, Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden, gave “clear orders” to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the founder of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to undertake an attack, the source said. McClatchy newspapers first reported the exchange on Sunday.

Concern about a terror plot has prompted the United States to shutter embassies and consulates across the Middle East and North Africa at least through Saturday.  You can read more here.
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Obama To Speak in Phoenix Today - President Barack Obama on Tuesday will embark on a trip to Phoenix, where he'll resume his nationwide tour to re-shift the focus of the press and politicians on the economy and job creation.
 
While there, Obama will tour Erickson Construction before pressing on to Desert Vista High School, where he will deliver remarks. His speech is scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m. ET.  TPM.com has more here.

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Emily's List Announces First House Endorsements for 2014 Election - EMILY's List, a group focused on electing pro-abortion rights Democratic women, is making its first endorsements of the 2014 cycle, backing six candidates running against GOP incumbents in swing House districts.

The deep-pocketed group's first endorsement list includes five top Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) recruits.

Former Iowa state Sen. Staci Appel (D) is taking on Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa); businesswoman Erin Bilbray (D) is challenging Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) and attorney Gwen Graham (D) is challenging Rep. Steve Southerland (R-Fla.). Former judge Ann Callis (D) is running against Rep. Rodney Davis (R) in Illinois, while Tompkins County Chairwoman Martha Robertson (D) is running against Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.).  TheHill.com has more here.

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Republican National Committee Attacks CNN and NBC Over Hillary Clinton Films - Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has threatened to pull NBC and CNN's access to the 2016 Republican primary debates unless those companies pull their current Hillary Clinton-related film projects.

In open letters to the leadership of NBC Universal and CNN International, Priebus expressed his "deep disappointment" over those networks' decisions to produce films "promoting former Secretary Hillary Clinton ahead of her likely candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016."

Should the networks fail to pull those films by the RNC's Summer meeting on August 14, Priebus writes, he will "seek a binding vote of the RNC stating that the committee will neither partner with you in 2016 primary debates nor sanction primary debates which you sponsor."  Politico.com has more here.

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